LIVER cancer has become the fastest-growing cause of cancer death in the UK with obesity, smoking and drinking behind more cases, research has revealed.
Cancer Research UK says the death rate has doubled in the last 20 years.
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Symptoms of liver cancer may include (clockwise from top left) a swollen abdomen or stomach pain, yellowing of the skin and eyes, nausea, itchy skin, or unexplained weight loss (center)
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Unhealthy habits like smoking and drinking damage the liver Credit: Alamy
It now kills about 5,800 people a year, compared with 2,200 in the late 1990s.
Liver tumors are a relatively rare type of cancer, but many cases – about half – could be prevented by living a healthier life.
Pamela Healy, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said: “These stark figures highlight the urgent need for action to tackle the rising number of deaths from liver cancer.
“Liver cancer is often preventable, and most cases are related to an underlying liver condition.
“It’s a devastating diagnosis because unfortunately only 13 percent of people survive five years.”
Maintaining a healthy weight, quitting smoking and reducing alcohol consumption can make a difference
Sophia Lowes Cancer Research UK
Separate research by the BLT found that 80 per cent of areas in England do not have adequate care for patients with liver disease, who are at greater risk of cancer.
Cancer Research UK found that the death rate from liver cancer has increased from 4.7 people per 100,000 in 1999 to 9.3 per 100,000 in 2019.
It is the eighth most common cause of death from cancer, although it is only the 17th most common in terms of cases.
Scientists say that bad habits are a major cause of liver cancer and that about 49 percent of cases are preventable.
They estimate that one in four cases is caused by excess body fat, one in five is caused by smoking, and seven percent is related to smoking.
Projections show that the death rate will continue to rise, increasing by another 10 percent, making it the sixth deadliest by 2040.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths from most common cancers is decreasing.
Sophia Lowes, from Cancer Research UK, said: “Maintaining a healthy weight, stopping smoking and cutting down on alcohol can significantly reduce the risk of cancer.
“Signs and symptoms of liver cancer include unexplained weight loss, yellowing of the skin and eyes, itching, nausea or a swollen abdomen.
“If you notice something that’s not normal for you, talk to your doctor.”
SYMPTOMS
The key symptoms Cancer Research UK states are:
- Weight loss
- Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
- Itching
- Feeling of nausea
- Swollen tummy (abdomen)
- Loss of appetite or feeling full after eating small amounts
- Abdominal pain
- A lump on the right side of your abdomen
- Pain in the right shoulder
He explains that symptoms vary depending on where the cancer is in the liver.
And the symptoms of liver cancer “are often quite vague.”
Jaundice is a symptom that most people recognize as being associated with liver cancer. It is caused by a blockage of the bile duct or an improper functioning of the liver.
A swollen belly – not related to eating – can be the result of an enlarged liver or blood vessels.
Symptoms such as weight loss, fatigue, nausea and general malaise are among the most common signs of all types of cancer – and should always be checked.
It comes after liver cancer is now ranked as ‘one of the six least survivable cancers’.
According to the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce (LSCT), these six types of cancer claim lives so quickly because they are often diagnosed at a later stage compared to other cancers.
Only 42 per cent of patients in England diagnosed with cancer of the brain, oesophagus, lung, liver, stomach or pancreas will live more than a year after diagnosis.
In contrast, the overall one-year survival rate for all cancers is 70 percent.
LIVER CANCER: RISKS
LIVER cancer is one of only a few common types of tumors that have an increasing mortality rate.
Experts say unhealthy lifestyles, including obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking, are driving the rise in cases and deaths from the disease.
What increases the risk of liver cancer?
- Age
- Cirrhosis of the liver – scarring from previous damage such as drinking alcohol or infection such as hepatitis
- Smoking
- Excessive weight
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Diabetes
- HIV or AIDS
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Source: HIS Education